Wednesday, April 12, 2006
One bad hole

Mmmm, a minature golf course, mmmm a back garden, mmmm a house. Some people should be grateful for what they have. Moan, moan, moan that's all we ever hear.

THERE are few golfers who can boast the use of a miniature course in their own back garden.

Businessman John Conner struck upon the idea of creating a one-hole garden golf course at his home in Currie in a bid to fine tune his game.

But it was his decision to put up a six-foot tall boundary fence along the side of the approximately 60-yard hole which proved the final straw for angry neighbours.

They claim that golf balls repeatedly end up in their back gardens and that one even narrowly missed a young child out playing and landed in the toddler's pushchair.

And they are furious that the towering fence has been built on top of an embankment next to the adjacent Water of Leith walkway, which they claim is public land. Neighbours say the fence also obscures their views of the picturesque waterway.

Now the city council has launched an investigation and Mr Conner faces having to tear down the fencing, which is around 50 metres long and six feet high above the course.

For full story click: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=540982006


Golf News
4/12/2006 6:29:26 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
What??????

Life is in the details someone once said. Here is one of those details that stopped the merciless grind of production for one minute and made us all laugh.


A room full of journalists were left speechless by this picture.

http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

Your funnies
4/12/2006 11:49:45 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Big Bother

Chantelle Houghton, the living, breathing proof of everything that is wrong with this nation, is getting engaged to her fellow Celebrity Big Brother housemate, Samuel ‘Preston’ Preston, lead singer with Bad Manners tribute Act,  The Ordinary Boys. With so much bad news in the world at the moment, the announcement has really helped lift the mood in the GP office. “I’m made up for them,” said GP’s beaming Travel Editor Owen Blackhurst. “I’ve always thought that they make a lovely couple. I just hope the brakes on the wedding car don’t     fail.”                                                                                                                                                                        Pricks


Your funnies
4/11/2006 9:28:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Long Drivers of Europe

There was a Long Drivers of Europe competition at the weekend,  and some of you may be familiar with the runner-up in the competition, Chris Roberts.

Better know to golf punks as Chris 'Maradona' Roberts, he is a regular in our forum and has recently been inviting all and sundry down to the London Golf Show for a meet up. Anyway, here's how he got on at the weekend.

“I think our aircraft are likely to cause more damage than your golf balls…” smiled the model plane enthusiast sagely, when he saw his usual flying spot at NMSI Wroughton usurped by the London Golf Show and Long Drivers of Europe (LDE).

Luckily for him and his friends the statement was not taken up as a challenge by those looking to set a new world record for long driving on the old airfield, near Swindon.

The miniature Charles Lindberghs departed for the far end of the runway where their impressive machines performed a plethora of loop-the-loops and dives – but they were still in danger from the Long Drivers of Europe.

Remember the Superball, manufactured by Wham-O and popular in all playgrounds in the early 70s? Well a golf ball reacts in a similar manner on an airport runway and those model aviators might well have seen a Pinnacle crash straight through their fuselage had they been any closer.

As it happened the longest drive of the day, in the London Golf Show-promoted event, came very close to popping straight into their packed lunches, with Paul Slater smashing the ball a staggering 884 yards – more than half-a-mile!

Slater came up with the goods when it really mattered – and not for the first time. His existing world record of 720 yards was set at London City Airport in February 2005, when it looked to all present that nobody would be able to wrest the accolade away from Aussie pro Stuart Appleby.

At Wroughton, Slater looked on while the new kid on the block, Adam Stacey, took his record away from him.

Londoner Stacey had not contemplated long driving until he tried his luck on a simulator at last year’s London Golf Show. He was so impressive he was invited to attend some of the LDE events last summer. It was the first step on a road which culminated in him being acclaimed as world number three at last year’s premier event in the United States.

The man in the Union Flag trousers cracked the ball down the runway and was encouraged by the urgings of his fellow competitors who kept telling him: “It’s still rolling – it’s down the middle.”

When it stopped rolling, and it took some time, it had exceeded Slater’s record by 24 yards – an impressive feat by any standards.

Slater was obviously impressed, for he asked to borrow Stacey’s driver. Such is the camaraderie of those on the LDE tour that refusing never crossed Stacey’s mind. European number one Joe Miller also offered up one of his.

Slater took one from each and blasted his first effort 723 yards through the Wiltshire air. It beat his previous world record by three yards, but he knew it wasn’t enough.

Two drives later and everybody present strained their eyes to catch sight of his ball. It started left and faded back on to the left edge of the runway – the perfect spot according to World Golf Trickshot champion Paul Barrington, who’d come along to take part and meet up with his old long-driving chums.

It was long; everybody knew it was long. One of the competitors chirped: “That’s about four quid in a taxi…”

Slater turned and, playing to the cameras, pointed his driver at Stacey and with a deadpan expression shouted: “It’s mine!”

It was. He added an unbelievable 164 yards to his previous best, with the driver borrowed from Miller – and outgunned Stacey’s new mark by another 140 yards. That’s how crucial the right bounce can prove when allied to sheer brute force.

But if Stacey was gutted, imagine how Welshman Chris Roberts felt. The 20-year-old from Caernarfon was last on the tee. His four shots included prodigious efforts of 735 and 760 yards – the latter the second longest drive on record.

He was disappointed, but pragmatic.

“I can take positives out of this,” he said with his trademark smile. “I beat last year’s record by 40 yards so I can’t be too disappointed.

“Slates’ effort must have had a freak bounce,” he laughed.

“I’m over the moon to see the guys here doing so well. They’re all friends of mine. I’ve been second twice at these world record attempts now so I must be doing something right. I’m sure I have the record in me for the future.”

Stacey was left to reflect on what might have been.

“At least I can say I was the world record holder – even if it was only for five minutes,” he said.

For Slater it must have been a case of déjà vu. Last year’s world record thrust him into the media spotlight, with interviews in national press, on TV and on radio. It also gave him the opportunity, with the backing of the London Golf Show, to tee it up in exhibition events with European Tour pros.

He was mobbed in Spain where his appearance on TV thrust him into the spotlight.

And on Saturday he was again in front of the microphones and cameras, though this time displaying the confidence of an old hand.

“I wanted my record back,” said Slater, with a nod of modest acknowledgement to Stacey.

“You’ve got five of the biggest hitters in Europe here and two of the biggest in the world. But I wanted it. Nobody had cleared 700 yards before I did it last year; and nobody had beaten 800 yards until I did it.

“And I did it with a borrowed club,” he added with a huge grin, holding aloft the driver borrowed from Miller.

Miller’s sponsor will be delighted. The new record was achieved with a Cobra XX Speed, with a loft of just four-and-a-half degrees.

“I’ve been recommending this club to everyone for ages,” added Slater. “They might start listening to me now.”
Golf Punks
4/11/2006 9:15:08 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
It's an Adams bomb

BombSquadGolf.com will be chatting with ADAMS GOLF this evening from 12.30am. The discussion will be open to all Adams Golf product lines. 

Scheduled for the online chat from Adams Golf will be..........
Mike Guerrette
10 years in the aeronautics industry
6 years in R&D in the Golf industry
5 years in the development of Tour only
Designer of Mike Weir's irons and 300 box toes

Jason Boyd Williams
7 years in Retail Golf
2 years as a Tour Rep

They will be giving away an Adams A2Tp Prototype Hybrid to the person that they believe asked the best question.

Golf News
4/11/2006 9:03:37 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
He swept it up!

As we all know by now, Phil Mickelson won this year's US Masters, and that means two things. Firstly, it means that there were 22 disappointed golf punks on Sunday evening and secondly, that Bernie (our office cleaner) was somersulting around his lounge having just won the GolfPunk office sweepstake.

It rounded off a bumper weekend for Bernie who already rinsed the bookies by picking the winner of the Grand National on Saturday. He also picked second place Tim Clark out of the hat. He said: "It was a good weekend, but a shame that Arsenal lost."

Bernie picked up £115, or at least he would've done if everyone had paid on time. He plans to spend it on a gas bill and a 'decent curry' and says that he doesn't even like Phil Mickelson.

   
       "You're hurting me Bernie..."
       "Shut it college boy and give me the gelt..."

Golf Punks
4/11/2006 8:12:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Monday, April 10, 2006
An American invasion?

Hearty rounds of applause are echoing worldwide in Phil Mickelson's direction and deservedly so. During the numerous conversations we've had in the office today one observation kept recurring and that was how Phil seemed to cruise to victory.

All the other players had numerous opportunities to put some pressure on Mickelson. If Couples and Woods had holed a few of their birdie opportunities Phil would've felt the squeeze going down the dreaded 15th and 16th holes. However, Mickelson seemed to have another gear left in him. Other players fell by the wayside but Phil just cruised along, playing par golf and snatching the occasional birdie.

This isn't a criticism of Phil, more a compliment to the way he was in complete control of his game, a vast improvement to the wreckless trigger happy player of a few years ago.

One of the more depressing aspects of this year's event was the failure of a European golfer to mount a serious challenge down the home straight.

Olazabal shot the lights out with his 66 and several Europeans flirted with the lead during the first three rounds but when it came to the crucial moment they were found wanting...again.

The lack of European winners is an easy bandwagon to jump on after a major championship, and we shouldn't forget that Europe have won the last two Ryder Cups. However, there's an interesting stat that makes this absence of major winners something bigger than an annoying itch.

So far this season on the European Tour there has been four American winners. Tiger Woods, Kevin Stadler, Chris DiMarco and now Big Phil have all won co-sanctioned events.

This isn't a clanging chime of doom for the European Tour, but it is a telling sign of the growing strength of the US players and at the very least fuels anticipation for the Ryder Cup in September.


Golf Punks
4/10/2006 5:05:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Master class

Well that was fantastic!! Yesterday, I watched a crisp four-iron soar over an emerald fairway, peak, and tilt left towards the flag, some 190 yards away before plunging like a dart into the green and rolling to 25ft for a chance of eagle. It was glorious. But that's enough about my game of golf yesterday - I three putted for par - did anyone enjoy the Masters??!!

Phil Mickelson stamped his portly authority all over the game capturing his second major in succession with a fantastic final day performance. Or at least I think he did.

The GolfPunk crew decided to all meet in the pub to watch the final day at Augusta and, as usual, sticking us berks in a room together proved to be rather eventful.

It all kicked off with introductions in the bar when one of our new friends pointed out that Travel Editor, Owen Blackhurst, had a striking resemblance to James Blunt. From there it was a few soothing beverages and deep-fried snacks at the lovely Royal Wells hotel and some delirious shouting at the TV screen.

Olazabal's towering 245-yard approach on 15 had several people who should know better on their knees screaming 'Ole, ole, ole'. At which point things started to go horribly wrong.

Firstly, the cold snap that made the final holes of golf unbearable turned into giant snowflakes and began to coat Tunbridge Wells in three foot of snow.

Unfortunately, Britain is unable to cope with any weather extremes and it wasn't long before the picture on screen turned to mush. So, we had to pack the beer into a box and head out to a hotel where eight men crowded around a 12 inch TV to watch the closing holes. But that dream wasn't to last either and just as Tiger Woods holed his birdie putt at the last the screen went blank.

Much unorganised shouting ensued and furious flicking of channels, while someone at the back kept barking 'check the adaptor', but to no avail. A few swift phone calls confirmed our darkest fears. The main transmitter for Kent had gone down due to the weather wiping out every TV in the county.

You would think at this point that the GolfPunk creative geniuses would pool together resources and find a solution, but we were all  out of ideas so we called Deputy Editor Iestyn George, who talked us through the final two holes.

Not quite the magical evening we planned but eventful all the same. We did get to watch some fantastic golf and to see a leaderboard jam packed with the best players in the world heading down the final nine holes of a major. I guess if you want something doing don't ask us....



You're Beautiful....


4/10/2006 11:08:10 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Thursday, April 06, 2006
Masters Day One

So we return from the local and carry on with trying to produce something that resembles a commercially viable magazine. It’s the first day (or night) of the 2006 Masters and all our minds are 3000 miles away in the Deep South.  We’ve got no television, no more crisps and just the world wide interweb to keep up us to speed. Considering we are a GOLF MAGAZINE, it’s a scandal that we can’t actually watch the Masters. Sure, we’ve tried to recreate Augusta in the office but it’s not the same. Owen Blackhurst has done his best, planting azaleas all around the office, and we’ve banned women from coming within a mile of us, but it’s not the same, is it? Roll on the weekend…
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              'Blue Steel'


Golf Punks
4/6/2006 8:04:01 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Amen Corner

Yesterday evening I spent half an hour watching Jack Nicklaus hit balls on the range (all in name of research). It was magical. His swing is as graceful as when he was in his prime and it felt like he was giving me a personal one-on-one lesson.

As a result we immediately charged down to Rustington driving range in a feeble attempt to emulate the great master.

Of course we failed, but you can have one of the best seats in the whole of the world by checking out the live footage froom Amen Corner and the range on the US Masters site.



Golf News
4/6/2006 3:20:09 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
The Wrong Greens

Tabloid front pages have been rife with stories of drought set to ravage the South of England this summer.

Apparently, we need six months of constant rainfall if we are to get reservoirs back to the required level and water boards are going to place severe restrictions on hosepipes and water usage, which will mean brown fairways and rock hard greens for golfers.

So, the enviromentalists have decided to take matters into their own hands and strike out at those they fell waste the most amount of water unnecessarily - namely the local golf courses.

THEY roamed the fairways in the dark, almost certainly broke the dress code and definitely flouted course etiquette by digging up the greens.

To golfers this deliberate infliction of damage on one of the South West’s finest courses was an act of indefensible vandalism.



But to the eco-warriors who appear to be responsible it is part of a campaign to reduce water wastage before what some experts believe could be the worst drought for a century. The attacks will send a ripple of fear through golf course managers everywhere.

At least five clubs in the Bath area have already received threatening letters from an anonymous group demanding that they cut their water consumption by a quarter and return 10 per cent of their courses to nature. If they fail to comply, the letter says, they could suffer the same fate as the Park course, which was attacked on the night of March 30.

A well-thought out plan folks. Of course, you do realise that repairing the damage to that green will take considerably more water than the most intensive maintenance would have done all summer. Keep up the good work.

For full story click: here


4/6/2006 10:14:38 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Live from Augusta

Live and exclusive from inside the pearly gates of Augusta National, GolfPunk's tutition expert Jonathan Yarwood, working his socks off and getting Michael Campbell prepared for the first major of the year.





'Yeah, I just hopped the fence and nipped through that gallery'

 

 

















 

'I love this material'

 

 











Cambo: If I hold my pose no-one will notice that I've shanked it

 

 

 









 

 

 

'Macho, macho man'     

 

 

 










'Say tees'

 

 

 



 

 

 

'So I was thinking sausage and mash and a DVD?'

 

Visit Jonathan Yarwood's academy at www.jygolfacademy.com


Golf Punks
4/5/2006 1:59:38 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Masters week Day Three

While browsing to see what all the other golf blogs are doing for Masters week I came across this great little ditty by the guys by EatGolf:



You can listen to the mp3 of this song so we can all sing along together....

http://www.eatgolf.com/

Your funnies
4/5/2006 1:19:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Masters week Day Three - The Draw

The groupings for the first two rounds at the US Masters have been drawn and thrown up some interesting pairings.

Two generations of South African golf will paired together when Gary Player and Rory Sabbatini tee off. Both are incredibly strong personalities and it will be fascinating to see how they get on.

Vijay Singh and Henrik Stenson are both expected to be in contention so hopefully they will spar off each other and play some great golf, especially if they get to see some 'Luke Donald golf' being played in the group in front.

And, of course, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els being paired together is bound to attract some big crowds.

0800: Rod Pampling, Lucas Glover, Olin Browne

0811 Larry Mize, Ben Crane, David Duval

0822 Ben Crenshaw, *Clay Ogden, Trevor Immelman

0833 Nick Faldo, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Rich Beem

0844 Raymond Floyd, Vaughn Taylor, Rocco Mediate

0855 Gary Player, *Dillon Dougherty, Rory Sabbatini

0906 Fuzzy Zoeller, Charles Howell III, Paul McGinley

0917 Tom Watson, Brian McElhinney, Michael Campbell

0928 Ian Woosnam, Tim Clark, Tom Lehman

0939 Mark Calcavecchia, David Howell, Thongchai Jaidee

0950 Mike Weir, Retief Goosen, Todd Hamilton

1001 Jose Maria Olazabal, David Toms, Luke Donald

1012 Vijay Singh, Henrik Stenson, Arron Oberholser

1023 Tiger Woods, *Eduardo Molinari, Robert Allenby

1034 Fred Couples, Jim Furyk, Shigeki Maruyama

1056 Charles Coody, Ted Purdy, Brandt Jobe

1107 Tim Herron, Nick O'Hern, Mark Hensby

1118 Justin Leonard, Stephen Ames, Sean O'Hair

1129 Bernhard Langer, Zach Johnson, Bart Bryant

1140 Scott Verplank, Colin Montgomerie, Joe Ogilvie

1151 Shaun Micheel, Lee Westwood, Ben Curtis

1202 Sandy Lyle, Billy Mayfair, Peter Lonard

1224 John Daly, Carl Pettersson, Jason Bohn

1235 Mark O'Meara, Thomas Levet, Darren Clarke

1246 Fred Funk, Stuart Appleby, Chad Campbell

1257 Stewart Cink, Thomas Bjorn, K.J. Choi

1308 Chris DiMarco, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy

1319 Craig Stadler, *Kevin Marsh, Padraig Harrington

1330 Phil Mickelson, Shingo Katayama, Ernie Els

1344 Davis Love III, Angel Cabrera, Adam Scott



Golf News
4/5/2006 10:26:04 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Tuesday, April 04, 2006
GP Masters Dinner

In the spirit of the Masters, we too are having a celebratory dinner as the impending doom of deadline day looms upon us.

Check it out:

Lamb Rogan Josh x2
Pork Pie x 2
Haribo x 3 (industrial bags)
Naan Bread
Vino Tinto
Colemans mustard
Drum tobacco

   
            Stick that in your oesophagus and choke on it Gillian McKeith

Golf Punks
4/4/2006 7:10:32 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Masters-chef

Tradition dictates that the champion chooses the dinner to be served to the competitors on Wednesday evening.

In the past this has caused some controversy and humour, such as Fuzzy Zoeller hoping that Tiger Woods didn't serve up fried chicken and collared greens, or when the majority of the field baulked at Sandy Lyle's patriotic menu of Haggis and neeps.

This year will be Tiger's fourth time as chef. In 1997 he opted for the hearty cheeseburger and milkshakes option that has kept America alive over the last few decades, but this time around he has widened his tastebuds and everyone will have the choice of chicken or steak fajitas. 

   
Godnammit, I'm so hungry right now it is unbelievable.


4/4/2006 6:39:54 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Masters week Day Two...Prediction Part 2

Masters fever has fully taken hold now. We are more excited than the Time Team on an Cheroke burial ground. The next sage up is GP leaper Sifa, so what's going to happen Sif?

"If you asked me yesterday I would have gone for Woods. Despite Big Phil shooting the lights out last week only one player has won the BellSouth Classic then gone on to don the green jacket, that was our own Sandy Lyle. However, I think the winners will come out of a group of four Sergio Garcia, Craig Stadler, Zach Johnson and Fuzzy Zoeller. There is no science behind it, they are just the names I picked out the hat. Come on boys I have got a fiver on this!"                                                    

                                                          

 

                                                                  IDIOT

Thanks for that Sifa, real reader service.


Golf Punks
4/4/2006 5:01:03 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Masters week Day Two...The Office Sweepstake

So we still have the best part of a magazine to put together and a very, very short space of time in which to do it but that doesn't stop us from all gathering in the office for the annual GolfPunk US Masters Sweepstake.

Independently adjudicated by Stiff Little Fingers and beautifully organised by Jack Edmonds the draw took about 20 minutes with ties to be played over the BBC on evenings between April 6th- 9th.

For those who were absent from the draw it's just tough bananas. There will be no changing of names and no complaints.

Here's everyone's picks:

Bernie - Tim Clark/ Kenny Perry/ Carl Pettersson/ Phil Mickelson

Sifa - Craig Stadler/ Zach Johnson/ Sergio Garcia/ Fuzzy Zoeller

Sophie Southwell - Dillon Dougherty/Tim Herron/ Larry Mize/ Shigeki Maruyama/ Tiger Woods

Tim Southwell - Jason Bohn/David Duval/ Sandy Lyle/ Sean O'Hair/ Mark Hensby

Owen - Ryan Moore/ Chad Campbell/ Miguel Angel Jimenez/ Shingo Katayama/ Doug Ford

Joe - Eduardo Molinari/Thomas Bjorn/ Shaun Micheel/ Vaughan Taylor

Lee - Mark O'Meara/ Gay Brewer Jr/ KJ Choi/Kevin Marsh/ Padraig Harrington

Bella - Darren Clarke/ Rocco Mediate/ Ben Curtis/ Rich Beem

Gavin - Jose Maria Olazabal/ Rory Sabbatini/ Thomas Levet/ Charles Coody

Pandy - Todd Hamilton/Paul McGinley/ Scott Verplank/ Angel Cabrera/

Paul - Tom Lehman/ Retief Goosen/ Stephen Ames/ Chris DiMarco/

Iestyn - Jim Furyk/ Mike Weir/ Lucas Glover/ Fred Funk

Dan O - Lee Westwood/ John Daly/ Peter Lonard/ Trevor Immelman

Sam - Nick O'hern/ David Howell/ Billy Casper/ Henrik Stenson

Keg - Brandt Jobe/ Nick Faldo/ Jack Nicklaus/ David Toms

Shaun - Arnold Palmer/ Bob Goalby/ Colin Montgomerie/ Ben Crane/ Olin Browne

Kate - Davis Love/Ian Woosnam/ Tom Watson/ Gary Player/ Bart Bryant

Tom - Adam Scott/ Jack Burke Jr/Ernie Els/ Arron Oberholser

Stobby - Ben Crenshaw/ Luke Donald/ Brian Nelson/ Joe Ogilvie

Dan C - Stewart Cink/ Bernhard Langer/ Justin Leonard/ Stuart Appelby

S Read - Mark Calcavecchia / Ted Purdy/ Robert Allenby/ Vijay Singh

Babbsy - Clay Ogden/ Ray Floyd/ Michael Campbell/ Brian McElhinney/ Tommy Aaron

Jack - Thongchee Jaidee/ Charles Howell III/ Geoff Ogilvy/ Fred Couples

Golf Punks
4/4/2006 3:00:37 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Monday, April 03, 2006
Masters Day one....getting late

Hang on a cotton-picking second!!! 50-1 on David Howell!!!!! Have they gone mad.

We are organising the office sweep (selections will be posted tomorrow Crouchy and Steve Read) and so decided to have a cheeky look at the odds to see who would be a good pick and are gobsmacked at some of the filthy odds being offered on some of the world's greatest players.

See if this whets your appetite:

David Howell   50-1
Rory Sabbatini (leading the money list) 100-1
Henrik Stenson   66-1
Miguel Jimenez 150-1
Tim Clark 125-1

I've got the urge to splurge.....

Golf News
4/3/2006 7:36:58 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Junior News

As the evening sunlight lengthens and Spring sets in the Junior Season starts to kick into action and already we are seeing some spectacular feats and stars of the future.

We've been keeping an eye on Tiny Woods, 6-year-old Reece Campbell-Murphy (That's just for his mum). Reece has been leaving a trail of gaping jaws everywhere he goes with his golfing ability. He has beaten his local pro, set a new long drive world record for his age, and is raising the profile of junior golf to a phenomenal level in Scotland.

He recently embarked on a marathon seven course - taking on Scotland's seven finest courses for childrens' charity Barnados - and here's how the wee fella got on:

The final net scores of all events are as follows; Reece played each course from men's yellow tees.

18.03.06. St Andrews Bay, Par 70, 6242 yards. Pro- 90, Reece 109

19.03.06. Turnberry, Par 72, 6440 yards. Pro-77, Reece-87

20.03.06. Glasgow Golf Club Gailes, Par 71, 6322 yards. Pro-79, Reece-78

21.03.06. Burntisland, Par 70, 6073 yards. Pro-71, Reece-97 (Reece's 6th birthday)

22.03.06. Gleneagles, Par 68, 5965 yards. Pro-82, Reece-90

23.03.06. Gullane, Par 71, 6466 yards. Pro-73, Reece-85

24.03.06. Old Course St Andrews, Par 71, 6387 yards. Pro-82, Reece-87

His efforts have also made him somewhat of a star in Japan and you can see the footage on either of these links. http://fnn.fujitv.co.jp/en/, www.tinywoods.co.uk
                     
                          

The 2006 Faldo Series also kicked off around the country. Here are some of the early results as they battle it out to get to the final at the Celtic Manor in October.

The following players each produced some fine golf in their respective tournaments and, as a result, have earned themselves a well-deserved place in the Faldo Series 2006 for free:

Southwest England & South Wales
Vale of Glamorgan Golf, Hotel & Spa Resort: 7th March

U21 - Aled Griffiths (19, Vale of Glamorgan) 77 (+5)
Boys U18 - Richard Williams (18, Vale of Glamorgan) 76 (+4)
Boys U16 - Ellis Cook (14, Burnham & Berrow) 80 (+8)
Girls U18 - Natasha Gobey (14 Rhondda) 97 (+23)
Boys CSS - 74 R/O
Girls CSS - 77 R/O

South England
The Oxfordshire Golf Club: 6th March

U21 - Andrew Mason (21, Tadmarton Heath) 71 (-1)
Boys U18 - Josh Lutt (16, Berkhampstead) 72 (Par)
Boys U16 - Lee Lewington (15, Hillingdon) 77 (+5)
Girls U18 - Katie Burman (14, John O’Gaunt) 81 (+9)

Northeast England
Cookridge Hall Golf Club: 8th March

U21 - Luke Searle (18, Richmond) 72 (Par)
Boys U18 - Scott Lambert (16, South Moor) 74 (+2)
Boys U16 - Matthew Edmiston (14, Oakdale) 77 (+5)
Boys U16 R/U - Luke Maguire (15, Howley Hall) 77 (+5)

Northwest England & North Wales
Heaton Park Golf Centre: 9th March

U21 - Peter Finch (19, The Shropshire) 72 (+2)
Boys U18 - Elliot Rowe (17 Shrewsbury) 74 (+4)
Boys U16 - Tom Murray (16, Lymm) 73 (+3)
Girls U18 - Amanda Shorrock (17, Pryors Hayes) 78 (+7)

Midlands & East Anglia
Ramsdale Park Golf Centre: 10th March

U21 - Ryan Evans (18, Stoke Albany) 73 (+2)
Boys U18 - Billy Fowles (16, Wentworth) 73 (+2)
Boys U16 - Thomas James (14, Scraptoft) 74 (+3)
Girls U18 - Stefanie Duffy (15, Kingsthorpe) 81 (+8)

Southeast England
Hoebridge Golf Centre: 13th March

U21 - Christopher Cannon (18, East Sussex National) 75 (+3)
Boys U18 - Dean Wright (16, Reading) 77 (+5)
Boys U16 - Nicky Davies (14, Bush Hill Park) 77 (+5)
Girls U18 - Raphaela Dyer (14, Hayling Island) 80 (+7)
Boys CSS - 74 R/O
Girls CSS - 73

Scotland
The Westerwood: 15th March
This event was cancelled due to snow. The following winners were drawn at random by an independent referee:

U21 - Karl Shepherd (19, Renishaw Park)
Boys U18 - Andrew Weir (17, Montrose Mercantile)
Boys U16 - Christopher McManus (15, Douglas Park)
Girls U18 - Gillian Arnott (14, Kilbirnie Place)

www.nickfaldo.com

Golf News
4/3/2006 6:33:18 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
MASTERS WEEK - DAY ONE

It's MASTERS week and excitement levels in the GP Office have reached that of a kindergarten weaned on a Haribo/Slush Puppy lunch.

To celebrate we are going to go Augusta-tastic this week and finding everything we can blog about in connection with The Masters. To begin with we found Equipment Editor, Dan 'King of Clubs' Owen sitting in the office chair right next to me and he's going to give us his lowdown on who's got what it takes to conquer the Georgia track and why:

Tiger Woods is going to win the Masters by five clear shots. He's the best golfer in the world by a long way and he's shown that in every event he's played this season.
He has tremendous self-belief and if he sets his sights on winning then everyone else has to work doubly hard just to keep up with him. He holes everything under 6ft  and  considering that Augusta are meant to have the scariest greens in the game, it will be a great help.
Watch out for Jose Olazabal who has hit a great run of form recently and has finally got his driving sorted. The last time he hit it straight from the tee he went and won the thing. You can also never discount Ernie Els and Luke Donald who are both capable of shooting great scores around any course in the world.

Well, thank-you Dan. There you have it folks, the world number one is likely to have a good chance.

We've found this great little site in the US. http://www.livefromaugusta.com/
Two fellas are heading to Augusta on a mission to have a great time and should get some great inside stories. Have a look and see what you think....


           
Golf News | Golf Punks
4/3/2006 5:22:28 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Friday, March 31, 2006
Murder on the golf course

We reported this on the blog a few weeks ago, so here's a little update. Bearing in mind that an American tried to decapitate players who wouldn't let him through  there's a slight concern in the office that everyone else is mental. We are fine, everyone else though...

"The case against several men accused of murder in a shooting at the Pali golf course is getting more serious.

Ethan Motta, Rodney Joseph Junior, and Kevin Gonsalves were indicted by an Oahu grand jury yesterday on several counts of murder and attempted murder in the aid of racketeering.

The three were charged in the shooting deaths of two men at Pali golf course in January of 2004.
 
Police said the shootings erupted from a dispute over who would provide security at illegal gambling houses.

"This is the type of activity which concerns us because this leads to gang wars, or this leads to (stumbles) underworld shootings, drive-by shootings and we cannot have this type of danger out in our communities when innocent citizens are around," said U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo.

Two other men including the alleged leader of the gambling business have also been indicted."

More serious than murder?? Full body yips?

Golf News
3/31/2006 5:13:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Donald Trump saves Scotland

"Donald Trump, the real estate and casino mogul who's worth $2.6 billion according to Forbes magazine, plans to build two golf courses on the northeast Scottish coast as part of a $500 million development.

Trump, who is half Scottish, will also construct a five-star hotel, a golf academy, a grass research center and apartments on the 800-acre Menie estate outside Aberdeen, development agency Scottish Enterprise said in an e-mailed statement today.

"I have never seen such an unspoilt and dramatic seaside landscape,'' the 59-year-old Trump said on his Web site.`The location makes it perfect for our development.''


Anyone forsee the 'Trump Apprentice vs Sugar Apprentice' reality golf/ find a new hotshot palaver coming soon to BBC 2?


Golf News
3/31/2006 4:49:27 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Slow Play Rage

A game of golf got so heated at a Seminole County golf course, one man ended up in jail.
Deputies said Rodney Hearon and another man asked two other golfers at Wekiva Springs Golf and Country Club if they could pass in front of them.When they were told no, investigators said Hearon argued and then chased Richard Febo with a golf club, swinging it within a foot of his head Wednesday.

I know how he feels....but still, don't do it.


Link: Golf rage
Golf News
3/31/2006 4:37:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
HDT Racing and our brand new Porsche

Such is the wonder of modern technology that we've ended up sponsoring a racing team after being introduced through our web design team.

It turns out that HDTracing.com share a designer with us and knew of our website. The designer got in touch with us and asked if we'd be interesting in sponsoring them, we immediately got giddy at the prospect of Porsches, champagne and started leafing through property brochures of Monaco abd said 'yes'.

Seconds later their guy Matt skyped me, we exchanged pleasantries and now we sponsor Graham Coomes in his shiny HDT Racing GT2 Porsche. That's one for the world of binary.

   

Driving like a demon                           And, holding up traffic


For when golf isn't enough | Golf Punks
3/31/2006 4:31:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 


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